Basics Of Baking Pans Explained

If you are preparing to bake something there are a few things you might want to know beforehand. You will need to know about baking pans and the different kinds of them. Baking pans come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and are made from different materials.

The size of baking pan will determine how much batter it will be able to hold. If you do not use the right size pan for the recipe you are going to make then there could be some mishaps. If the pan you use happens to be larger than needed then the depth of the batter will be shallower and the batter will bake quicker. Opposite to using a larger pan, if you use a pan that is to small then the batter will be deeper and it will take more time to bake.

Baking pans come in different sizes also. Cake pans, loaf pans, and pie pans are the three most common baking pans. Cake pans can be either circular or square, however, there are two other types known as the angel food cake pan and the springform pan. Loaf pans are flat bottomed and generally very large. The pie pans are specifically designed for pies. Pie pans are circular, flat bottomed, and have flared up sides.

There are primarily two types of materials that baking pans are made from. Metal and glass are the two types, although glass normally refers to baking dishes. If you use a glass baking dish then you may have to reduce the temperature of your oven by twenty-five degrees. It’s common that recipes will inform you of which material your baking pan should be made of for that recipe.

You will probably want to know what the dimensions, volume, and the depth of your baking pan are. If you want to find out the dimensions of your pan then all you have to do is measure from one edge to another. It is important that you measure the inside of the edge though, if you measure outside then the thickness of your pan will be included in the measurement.

Even simpler to determine than the dimension is the depth of the pan. To do this you need to put a ruler straight up from the bottom up to the top of the pan. The only thing you need to watch out for is to make sure the ruler isn’t slanted. The best way to figure out the volume of a baking pan is to pour pre-measured cups of water in the pan until it is filled to the brim.

Final Thoughts

There are a few things you should know and remember before choosing or using a baking pan. One important fact is that most ovens will not hold a pan that is bigger than 17 x 14 inches. Make sure you measure you dimensions, depth, and volume so you don’t make any mistakes in your baking. A good thing to know when you measure the dimension is that 1 inch equals 1.54 cm and when measure volume 1 cup equals 237 ml. If a recipe calls for a glass dish then you should use it, if it calls for a metal baking pan then use it. You also need to remember to use the correct sized pan. Most recipes will tell you what material and size pan you should use.